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Bafana Bafana head coach Ephraim Shakes Mashaba believes his side is slowly getting where it should be.

Mashaba said this after his side defeated Congo 2-nil in a CAF Orange Africa Cup of Nations Qualifier played on Saturday, 11 October in Pointe Noire to take leadership of Group A.

Second half goals from strikers Bongani Ndulula and Tokelo Rantie three minutes apart (in the 52nd and 55th minutes) were enough to see the South Africans return home with maximum points.

This was the ninth meeting between the two nations, and Bafana Bafana have won five of the clashes, losing just once.

The Bafana Bafana mentor has now beaten the Congolese two times – first time in Octtober of 1992 in Johannesburg (Ellis Park Stadium), in the first encounter between the two nations.

“I am happy to have beaten Congo for the second time. The first time I was a stand-in coach. We defeated them one nil, today it was two and I hope the next time it will be three. But it shows there is some improvement from the coaches, we are gettign somewhere,” said Mashaba.

“It also shows we are on track with our vision. Sudan and Congo are no pushovers, and we lacked a bit of luck to defeat Nigeria. But things are working well. If you look at the personnel we brought in, they looked good. Youngster Rivaldo (Coetzee) was outstanding, Letsholonyane gave us what we wanted. Going forward we will bring in one or two more players because we are building a new side and I hope it will brign more results. Should we qualify for Morocco then we will test the strength of the squad at the tournament, and once we are done there we look forward to preparing for 2018 World Cup.”

Bafana Bafana have now played three matches in the qualifiers without conceding, but what pleases Mashaba more is how the results were achieved.

“It’s a combination of things because when you play good football without scoring it doesn’t help, but you can also play bad and get three points. But here we have combined the two because the boys are playing good football, it’s been quite a while since I last saw our team playing such good football. They are beaming with confidence as individuals, but the combination of the players means we are gradually achieving our goals,” added the Bafana Bafana mentor.

South Africa still has a date with the same Congo on Wednesday, 15 October at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane – a match that could clinch qualification for Morocco 2015.

“This result has led us to the good and the bad - players when they have taken a lead, they showboating and it’s a tough thing to get it out of them. They are booming with confidence and it nearly cost us. If it was not for Senzo they would have scored a goal or two,” said Mashaba.

“We are not going to change much for the return leg. We will approach them with the same strategy and ensure we don’t concede early on. Also we need to guard against complacency. Playing at home is also not a luxury anymore as the players become more under pressure from the fans and end up making mistakes, no freedom of expression. But I believe it’s a plus to us having played three tough games without conceding. It is another way to show that the team is working together.”

Bafana Bafana have now scored a total of six times and conceded four goals in nine matches against Congo.

South Africa leads the group with seven points, followed by Congo with 6 poinsts.

Elsewhere Sudan stunned Nigeria by one goal to nil to leave the struggling Super Eagles bottom of the group with just one point after three matches. Sudan is third with three points.

Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba is refusing to be carried away despite his young guns’ continued defiance of critics after holding African champions Nigeria to a goalless draw in a thrilling 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at Cape Town Stadium on Wednesday, 10 September 2014.

Mashaba, who two weeks ago oversaw the U20’s qualification to the CAF Youth championships in Senegal before leading Bafana Bafana to a convincing 3-0 win over Sudan in Khartoum last Friday, said there was still lots of work that needed to be put into the senior men’s national team for them to become a complete product.

“I fully agree that four points from a possible six is a good return but we need to work on our finishing. Had we been more ruthless in front of goals on Wednesday night, we could easily have won that game. Towards the end of the second half, we were all over the Super Eagles and could have snatched one or two late goals.“That is an area of concern but it is work in progress,” said Mashaba.

The industrious mentor said marking was also another area which he would work on ahead of Bafana Bafana’s next assignment against Congo at the notorious coastal city of Point Noire in October.“We still mark our opponents in pockets instead of collective but again this is something which we will work on going forward,” he said.Mashaba also lauded the fans for coming in their numbers to support the soccer national team. Over 32000 supporters were in attendance as Bafana were held by the African champions.

“What I saw in Cape Town on Wednesday was encouraging. Yes, the best way to market yourself is to win games and I am beginning to get excited about how people are starting to give the boys a lift.“If you want to win things, you need the support of the country and I would like to encourage people to rally behind the boys. Results will come,” said Mashaba.

Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba has challenged his charges to forget about the politics surrounding the Nigeria game, calling them to psyche themselves up for one of the biggest games of their lives.

Addressing members of the media after the morning training session at Athlone Stadium on Monday, Mashaba said the issue of whether Nigeria would be banned or not by the world football governing body, FIFA was neither here nor there as far as the team’s training regime was concerned.

“As far as I am concerned, we will play Nigeria on Wednesday and we are ready to go to battle and it is a big one and I have told my boys to up their game, come Wednesday,” said Mashaba.

The Bafana Bafana mentor said the good thing about Wednesday’s game was the fact that the boys had removed pressure off themselves by winning against Sudan in Khartoum last Friday.

“The 3-0 win was critical but now we need to be even more clinical if we are to follow up our win on Friday. It won’t be a technical match; they are going to be fighting as well. We all know what Nigerians can do,” Mashaba cautioned, adding that he had lots of confidence with the kind of players that he had assembled. “We should be in a position to get something out of the game.”

Second half replacement, Sibusiso Vilakazi, came on eight minutes into the second period and scored a superb brace to send South Africa on their way three days ago, and Mashaba hinted that he was resisting the temptation to include Vilakazi in his starting line-up as a result of the Wits’ midfielder’s heroics.

“In modern football, that is what we call a tactical move. You don’t throw all your good players from the word go. You throw them from the bench when the opposition is tiring. All three subs that came on paid dividends. It was like they were saying; we want to show the coach that we don’t belong to the bench,” added Mashaba.

Apart from Andile Jali, who is nursing a slight knock, Bafana Bafana medical team has given the squad a clean bill of health.

The announcement was made by coach Shakes Mashaba on Thursday afternoon ahead of the team’s final training session at the match venue.“I think the young man has worked hard and deserved the chance. He is a leader and I like his overall attitude,” said Mashaba.Friday’s match kicks off at 20h00 and Bafana Bafana will fly back soon after the game.

They will travel to Cape Town on Saturday morning to start preparing for the match against Nigeria scheduled for Wednesday, 10 September 2014 at Cape Town Stadium.

Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba and his technical team have named the final 24-man team to travel to Sudan on Wednesday morning, 3 September 2014.Among those not travelling to Khartoum for this opening 2015 Morocco Orange Africa Cup of Nations qualifier are goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune, Buhlebuyeza Mkhwanazi, Ayanda Patosi, Bonginkosi Ntuli, Ronwen Williams, Bongani Zungu, Jabulani Shongwe, George Lebese, Percy Tau and Siyanda Ngubo.Khune is carrying a Grade 3 stress fracture on the foot bone and the medical team decided against travelling with him fearing they would aggravate the injury. Ayanda Patosi failed to arrive for the camp after failing to connect from Belgium.“I am glad with this group of players I am travelling with. We are going there to fight, make no mistake,” said coach Mashaba.The team leaves Johannesburg on a 06h00 flight on Wednesday morning with a stopover in the Tanzanian capital of Dar es Salaam and will arrive in Khartoum at 12h30.

They will have a full training at 17h00 on the same day.The match will be played on 5 September at El Merreikh stadium and kicks off at 20h00.The team returns soon after the match and will land in South Africa at 06h30. They will connect straight to Cape Town to start preparations for the game against reigning African champions Nigeria which will take place at Cape Town stadium on 10 September 2014.

South African Football Association (SAFA) President Dr Danny Jordaan will serve on a working group that will re-negotiate the current contract between Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the company that holds the broadcast rights Sport 5.

The current contract that started from 2008 is due to expire in 2016 and CAF has set in motion the process of re-negotiating the deal. The next cycle will run from 2017 to 2024. Dr Jordaan, who also serves as special advisor to CAF President Issa Hayatou, was selected to serve on a seven-man group which also comprise fellow South African and former SAFA CEO Raymond Hack, the Chairman of the CAF Disciplinary Board.

According to CAF General Secretary Hicham El Amrani, the group will have the mandate to design the best possible strategy for the contract renewal to be submitted to the CAF Executive Committee for approval and implementation.

The objective of this working group is to:

• Analyse the current contract and identify the positive and negative aspects of it• Analyse the current/perceived value of CAF competitions • Establish a clear strategy for the renewal• Ensure the respect of the current contractual obligations for the renewal• Submit to the CAF Executive Committee the best course of actionDr Jordaan said he was honoured and happy to serve on a group that will make recommendations to CAF on a deal that will have far reaching benefits to African football. The group will have its first meeting on September 13 in Addis Ababa.

New Bafana Bafana coach Ephraim ‘Shakes’ Mashaba has announced a squad of 34 players for the two upcoming CAF ORANGE Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco 2015 qualifying matches against Sudan and Nigeria.This is Mashaba’s first squad announcement since his appointment as head coach of the Senior Men’s National Team last month.Bafana Bafana travel to Khartoum for a date with Sudan on Friday, 5 September and host Nigeria in Cape Town on Wednesday, 10 September.

“It is very interesting to select the national team players, but there is also the difficult side of it, especially at this level where there are several very good players in different positions. There is huge talent in this country,” said Mashaba.“I chose a big squad because we are playing two crucial matches in a short space of time and we don’t want to leave anything to chance,” said Mashaba adding that the emphasis on the selected squad was on the future.

“As you can see in terms of age, we would like to align ourselves with the SAFA Vision 2022 where South Africa should be among the best on the continent and in the world. To reach that target, along the way we will come across several competitions like the 2015 Morocco AFCON, the 2016 Rio Olympics, 2017 Libya AFCON, the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, among others. It would be great to play in those tournaments hence the young players we have selected as part of a long-term vision,” said the Bafana Bafana mentor.

“But we also looked at current form, and some players are unfortunate not to be part of the squad because they are talented but they don’t have the momentum yet as the league has just started. All we ask for now is support from the public for this project we are working on.”Bafana Bafana will charter a flight to Sudan which departs on Wednesday, 3 September and will return immediately after the match on Friday, 5 September, landing in Johannesburg on Saturday morning (6 September).The team will then travel to Cape Town on the same day to prepare for the Nigeria clash which will take place on Wednesday, 10 September.The match in the Mother City is hosted in partnership with the City of Cape Town.

“The City of Cape Town is thrilled to host Bafana Bafana for their first home match of the ORANGE Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco 2015 Final Round Qualifiers at the Cape Town Stadium on Wednesday, 10 September. We are proud to welcome our home team back to the Mother City just a few months after successfully hosting the CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN 2014). “The match on 10 September is part of Cape Town’s extensive Tourism Month offering and a treat for the many football enthusiasts across our city and the rest of the country. We encourage fans to get their tickets early and look forward to seeing some exciting football on the pitch,” said Executive Mayor of Cape Town Patricia de Lille.

Even though he has selected 34 players, only 25 will travel to Sudan with the rest joining Bafana Bafana in Cape Town on the squad’s return.Bafana Bafana start their camp on Sunday, 31 August in Johannesburg.(below is the list of the selected Bafana Bafana squad).

BAFANA BAFANA SQUAD LIST VS SUDAN AND NIGERIA31 AUGUST - 11 SEPTEMBER 2014NO. PLAYER'S NAME CLUB

The South African Football Association (SAFA) has met the Sports Portfolio Committee in Parliament today (Tuesday, 19 August 2014) where it briefed Honourable MPs from various political parties on a variety of issues.

Led by the Association President, Dr Danny Jordaan, SAFA presented its financial turnaround strategy in which it has moved from the red to a projected considerable profit in the 2014 Financial Year.

The Association also gave details of the new broadcast partner Siyaya TV to the House, explaining the tremendous opportunities in the broadcast environment, which sports federations need to tap into.

The broadcast deal between SAFA and Siyaya TV kicks in next year.

“It was a very productive exercise and the House was quite happy with our presentation. In most cases criticism from certain quarters came as a result of lack of information,” said Dr Jordaan.

“The Parliament welcomed the explanation and they also wished new Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba the best of luck in his new job,” he added.

The South African Men’s Under 20 National Team (Amajita) have safely arrived in Yaounde, Cameroon after a nine-hour trip that took them via Nairobi, Kenya. The South Africans, however, arrived in Yaounde without most of their luggage including the playing kit and toiletry. Word from Kenya Airways was that the bags were not loaded in Nairobi where the team was in transit, and would only be delivered to the squad on Friday (15 August) evening on the next available flight to Yaounde.

“It is a very bad situation because most of our luggage did not make it to Yaounde. Our clothes, training equipment like cones and medication are all held up in Nairobi. Fortunately the training kit we have is the one they used in Johannesburg so each kept his own. I am just happy that we went on the tour of West Africa so this should not disturb the boys mentally as our objective for that tour was to prepare the boys for such eventualities. At the moment we are at the mercy of Kenya Airways as to when our luggage will arrive. We are hopeful that we will have the kit ready for our match,” said SA U20 team manager Ace Kika

“These things happen. As the manager was saying when we got the news about our bags I looked at my boys and found that they were not too worried, mainly due to the tour we undertook recently. We had some misfortunes on that tour like when we sat at the airport for hours on end, travelled long distances and this one in Yaounde is of a different kind but we will overcome,” added Amajita head coach Shakes Mashaba. The Amajita coach urged the players to focus on the job at hand and not worry about things they cannot control.

“If only people would see me at the training session later today (Thursday, 14 August), I will be wearing my formal clothes that I travelled in from South Africa as there is nothing to change into. We cannot sit and fold our hands or put them on top of our heads and cry, life has to continue, the show must go on and that is the mental strength I see from these boys. Fortunately they have their boots in their personal bags so we must continue with preparations because the match is just under 72 hours away.”

To compensate for the delay, Kenya Airways contributed some finance to assist the team to buy toiletries while waiting for their luggage. Amajita will face the host nation in a 2015 African Youth Championship qualifier. The third round first leg clash will be played on Saturday, 16 August 2014 at the Omnisports Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium. Kickoff is at 15h00 local time in Cameroon (16h00 SA time).

The return leg will take place on Sunday, 31 August In Polokwane.

Amajita have another training session on Friday (15 August) to complete preparations for the match.

The South African Women’s National, Sasol Banyana Banyana comfortably beat Namibia 2-0 in an international friendly match on Sunday, 10 August at the Dobsonville stadium.

This was a second meeting between Banyana Banyana and the Brave Warriors in a space of a month. Sasol Banyana Banyana won 2-1 in Namibia last monthBanyana Banyana took the lead early in the first half as Amanda Dlamini slotted home a well-executed goal three minutes into the game. She took advantage of an interception from just outside the box, putting through the opening goal of the match past the Namibian keeper.

Sasol Banyana Banyana enjoyed most of the ball possession in the first half, forcing the Namibian goalkeeper to make a save in the 35th minute. Nothando Vilakazi’s shot from just outside the box hit the cross-bar in the 39th minute.The tempo of the match started a bit slow in the second half.

Leandra Smeda extended Sasol Banyana Banyana’s lead in the second half after Portia Modise beat the keeper before playing a pass to Smeda, who was unmarked inside the box.

Coach Vera Pauw gave new debutant Thembi Kgatlane from the High Performance Centre a run in the match.Sasol Banyana Banyana continued pilling pressure on the Brave Warriors in the bid to get more goals, but the match ended with the score line at 2-0.Banyana Banyana are preparing for the 9th edition of the African Women’s Championship which will be hosted in Namibia from 11-25 October. They will continue playing international friendly matches in August ahead of the tournament.